Anxiety: The physical symptoms

We all know what anxiety feels like: A pounding heart, sweaty palms, upset stomach. Maybe your boss just called you into her office, looking grave; maybe you just got an unexpected phone call that spells bad news. Regardless of the trigger, the physical symptoms of anxiety can literally make you sick. But while you can't always stop stressful events from occurring, you can control your reaction to them.

Understanding anxiety
"Anxiety is how you react to stressful situations," says Dr. Donna Ferguson, a psychologist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto. When faced with a stressful situation, the body produces excess adrenaline and cortisol, which turns on the body's ‘fight or flight' instinct. It's not uncommon to experience a pounding heart, hyperventilation, trembling, nausea, abdominal distress, headache or light headedness.

There are different kinds of anxiety. Sometimes, the trigger is an unexpected or stressful situation, leading to a pounding heart or upset stomach. General anxiety disorder is a constant feeling of worry about nothing in particular, while other anxiety disorders have specific triggers that can set off panic attacks. Some people have panic disorders, where panic attacks occur randomly. Studies have shown women to be more likely to suffer from anxiety and anxiety disorders than men.

Panic attacks
In some cases, the physical symptoms of anxiety can get out of hand, leading to a panic attack. Often, people experiencing anxiety are unable to recognise their physical symptoms as a stress reaction, and think something is physically wrong with them.

"It's a cycle," Ferguson says. "You worry about the symptoms, but the more you worry, the worse the symptoms get." Someone having a panic attack might think they are having a heart attack and end up in the emergency room before they finally calm down. "There's a fear of the symptoms, and a fear of the anxiety itself, and the anxiety is almost catastrophic," she says. While most panic attacks peak within 10 minutes of onset, they can be severe and debilitating; Ferguson notes some people think they are going to die.

Page 1 of 2 – on page 2: find out how to manage your symptoms.